🧳the pre-Japan checklist, revised after my sister's trip

What I make everyone read before their first trip. Updated after watching my sister almost miss her JR reservation.

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Check your passport expiry, 6 months past your return date

a friend got flagged at check-in with four months left and had to rebook the whole trip.

Decide IC card vs JR Pass, don't buy both

do the math on your actual route first. most first-timers overbuy the pass for two shinkansen legs.

Set up Suica on your phone if you have an iPhone

Android still needs the physical IC card from a station machine, no way around it as of this year.

Sort an esim or pocket wifi before you land

Withdraw yen at a 7-Eleven ATM, not the airport counter

the airport rate is bad and 7-Eleven ATMs take foreign cards reliably almost everywhere.

Download offline maps for every city you're stopping in

Screenshot your hotel addresses in Japanese

taxi drivers and some station staff won't read romaji. stood outside Ueno for 20 minutes learning this.

Pack a coin purse

this country runs on coins, my wallet was a brick by day three

Bring a real portable charger, not the tiny keychain kind

Check which days your museums and shrines are closed

mondays kill a lot of museums. shrines rarely close but check the exceptions anyway.

Tell your bank you're traveling

Learn quiet-car etiquette before you're on one

phone calls are basically banned on trains. go off-peak if your schedule can shift, rush hour is worse than you think.

Leave one full day with nothing planned

used to schedule every hour and burned out by day five. now I leave a day empty near the middle, no itinerary, just wander.

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